Wooden cutting boards for cutting food are well-known and utilized extensively. In this regard, such cutting boards provide a solid, heavy-duty surface upon which food items, and in particular vegetables, fruits, and meats, can be cut to desired dimensions or portions. Advantageously, the wood surface provides sufficient durability to serve as a cutting surface without damaging the steel knife blades typically utilized to cut the food items. Indeed, but for the typical wear and tear associated with repeated cuttings, wooden cutting boards can be used indefinitely. Along these lines, due to the attractiveness and durability of wood, such cutting boards are frequently incorporated as countertop surfaces in kitchens and the like to thus provide a readily accessible surface upon which food may be cut.
Notwithstanding their advantages, wooden cutting boards and counter tops suffer from numerous drawbacks. Perhaps most serious of such drawbacks is the ability of such counter top surfaces to harbor communicable diseases capable of causing food poisoning. As is well-known, due to the porous nature of woodxe2x80x94coupled with the repetition by which the same comes into contact with raw foodxe2x80x94serious and sometimes life-threatening food poisoning can be caused by a variety of pathogens that exist upon such surfaces. Examples of such pathogens include escherichia coli, normally found in undercooked and/or ground red meat; salmonella, which is typically found in chicken meat products; spiralis, found in raw or inadequately cooked or processed pork or pork products responsible and for causing trichinosis; and hepatitis A virus, responsible for producing hepatitis A, which may be found in contaminated raw shell fish. To a lesser extent, such surfaces can facilitate communicable diseases transmitted via person to person. For example, influenza and ammonia are but two of a multitude of dehabilitating conditions caused by pathogens that can exist and be transmitted across wooden cutting surfaces.
While disinfectants and anti-microbial cleaners are well-known and readily available to disinfect such wood cutting surfaces, the use of such cleaning compositions is typically undesirable. In this regard, such compositions frequently employ harsh cleaning agents that, although effective in killing microorganisms, are toxic in and of themselves. As such, it is often necessary to immediately rinse off the wood cutting surfaces or wash away the residues left by such cleaners following their application, which in essence requires that such surfaces be cleaned twice. Furthermore, great care must be exercised in utilizing such cleaners so that the same are not inadvertently applied to food substances that are placed in close proximity to such cutting surfaces.
Separate and apart from the potential toxicities of such cleaning agents are the deleterious effects the same have on the wood itself. Because of their caustic nature, most cleaning agents in use can and frequently do dry-out the wood surface and cause the same to assume unsightly appearance over time. In this regard, such cleaning agents, including non-toxic cleaning agents such as regular soap, cause wood to fade and eventually become brittle. The latter effect is especially problematic insofar as the brittleness imparted to the wood causes the wood to lose strength over time. As such, when subjected to repeated cuttings, the wood can and does scratch more easily and can even splinter in certain circumstances.
Accordingly, there is a substantial need in the art for a composition and method for disinfecting a wooden cutting board or countertop that, in addition to effectively eradicating potentially disease-causing pathogens, further preserves and protect the underlying wood cutting surface. There is further a need in the art for such a composition and method that is non-toxic and safe for the environment. Moreover, there is a need in the art for such a composition and method that, in addition to the foregoing properties, is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, is of simple formulation, and may be readily produced using commercially-available materials.
The present invention specifically addresses and alleviates the above-identified deficiencies in the art. In this regard, the present invention is directed to a composition and method for simultaneously disinfecting and conditioning a wood cutting surface. Advantageously, the composition and method of the present invention safely and easily cause a wooden cutting surface to be readily disinfected but without subjecting the wood to oxidizing compounds that would otherwise cause the same to dry out and assume an unsightly appearance, as do conventional cleaning agents and the like.
According to a preferred embodiment, the composition comprises a mixture of ethanol in combination with food-grade mineral oil. The composition is preferably formed such that the ethanol is present in an amount sufficient to provide antiseptic properties, with the remainder constituting the mineral oil. Presently, it is believed that the ethanol component may be present in an amount from 40% to 99% by volume, with the mineral oil being present in an amount from 60% to 1% by volume. In a more highly preferred embodiment, the ethanol is present in an amount from 60 to 90% by volume with the mineral oil being present in a corresponding amount of 30 to 10% by volume. In a most highly preferred embodiment, the ethanol component is present in an amount ranging from 65% to 85% whereas the mineral oil component is present in an amount from 35% to 15% by volume. To the extent desired, additional components may be added, such as a flavor enhancer, coloring agent, preservative, buffering agent, anti-oxidant, fragrance, and/or sequestering agent, to name a few. Water may additionally be added to the extent necessary to produce a desired concentration of the composition.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a composition and method for disinfecting a wooden cutting surface that, rather than harming the wood as a result of such disinfecting process, preserves and conditions the wood to thus enhance the care thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a composition and method for disinfecting a wooden cutting surface that can rapidly eradiate substantially all pathogens present upon a wooden cutting surface.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a composition and method for disinfecting a wooden cutting surface that can effectively eradicate pathogens present on a cutting surface that is of minimal toxicity to humans and poses no threat to the environment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a composition and method for disinfecting a wooden cutting surface that can increase the lifespan of the wooden cutting surface.
Still further object of the present invention is to provide a composition and method for disinfecting a wooden cutting surface that is easy to utilize, may be readily formulated from existing materials, is inexpensive to formulate, and is substantially safer, more efficient and less expensive then prior art compositions and methods.